Terminal socket electrical connector



Dec. 11, 1951 x. H. oDENHElMr-:R 2,578,448

TERMINAL SOCKET ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR A* Filed June 3, 1948 Inventor:

Jerome H. Oder: hemer,

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Patented Dec. 1l, 19,51

TERMINAL SOCKET ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Jerome H. Odenheimer, Havertown, Pa., assignor to General Electric New York Company, a. corporation of Application June 3, 1948, Serial No. 30,813

s Claims. (Cl. 173-324) `The invention relates to connectors for electrical conductors, particularly detachable test lead connectors suitable for connecting up various conductors to various forms of electrical apparatus in test circuits without the use of the usual jaw type test clips or the like.

The principal object is to provide van improved easily handled pistol grip form of safety insulated socket connector having a tunnel and a smaller tunnel extension formed in alignment in a molded insulating casing for telescoping an insulated conductor and the bare straight end thereof respectively and provided with internal clamping means at the inner end of each socket that is relatively quickly attachable to an electrical conductor by means Of a relatively non- A rotative smaller diameter Contact ball capable of establishing a good mechanical grip and electrical connection without damage to the bare straight end of the conductor.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description of the accompanying drawing showing a preferred form Aof the invention and its scope is pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawing Fig. 1 isa sectional view of a multiple connector embodying the improvements of the present invention; Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the connector shown in Fig. 1 along the line 2-2; and Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating schematically how the connector shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2 is used in setting up typical test circuits for a relay.

The improved connector indicated generally by the reference character 9 is provided with a safe and readily handled casing I of insulating material molded into a substantially L-shaped or pistol grip form and having a longitudinal tunnelII for telescoping an insulated conductor I2 inside the shorter handle extension or leg of the L. The casing I0 is also provided with an aligned smaller extension tunnel I3 with a closed end for telescoping the bare straight end of conductor I4 therein. `In the multiple contact form of the invention shown in Fig. 1 the smaller extension tunnel I3 extends into the base of the wide leg of the L-shaped pistol grip casing I0 in which the three metal socket contacts I1, I8 and I9 are embedded in alignment.

The middle socket contact I8 as shown in section in Fig. 2 has an open plug-receiving outer end and an inner closed end 20 provided. with a transverse open end tunnel 2| registering with the closed end extension tunnel I3 for telescoping the bare straight end of conductor I4. The

coaxial threaded opening 22 communicates between the interior of the socket Contact I8 and the transverse tunnel 2|. As shown in Fig. 1, a socket type set screw 23 is threaded into the opening 22 and has a spherical cup end 24 with a ball Contact 25 therein Of relatively smaller diameter than both the spherical cup end of the set screw 23 and the bare conductor for nonrotative gripping engagement with the bare straight end of conductor I4 when the set screw 23 is tightened by means of a suitable socket key wrench inserted through the open end of the socket contact I8. The ball Contact 25 is not depended on for electrical contact, which is established by the pressure of the conductor I4 against the top of the telescoping tunnel 2I. It will be understood that eachof the other multiple contacts II and I8 is constructed in identically the same way as the middle socket contact I8. While a multiple socket connector 9 involving three sockets has been illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, it will be understood that the connector may be provided with any number of sockets desired, i. e., a single socket, two sockets or even more than three sockets.. In each case the bare straight end of the conductor I4 is secured to the socket insert by means of the contact ball 25 and the cup, end socket-type set screw in the manner previously described. Moreover, the socket or sockets of each connector 9 are adapted to receive a suitable spring plug connector therein which may be of the screw threaded adaptor type such as to be readily threaded onto the screw terminals of measuring instruments, relay coil terminals, or the like, thereby enabling good electrical and mechanical connection to be established between the terminal of the electrical device and the conductor I4 in each case.l The particular form of the adaptor spring plugs may be varied to suit the form of the electrical apparatus that is to be interconnected by use of the improved connector of the present invention.

As shown in the typical test circuits of`Flg. 3 which are readily set up by means of the safe and easily handled connectors of the present invention, each of the safe and easily handled multiple connectors 9 is connected by the i11- sulated conductor I 2 with an insulated plug 30 adapted to plug into the power lines of a.test bench. The voltmeter V is interconnected between the two multiple connectors 9 by means of the conductors 3| and 32, each of which is provided with a spring contact plug 33 adapted to be inserted in one of the sockets I9 of the multiple connector 9. The other end of the conductors 3l and 32 is provided with a single socket connector 9 that is identical in construction with the multiple connector 9 except that only a single socket, like socket i9, is provided in the molded insulating L-shaped casing I which correspondingly reduces the width of the socket leg thereof. The voltmeter terminals are provided with suitable screwed-on spring contact adaptors for insertion into the single socket of each connector 9'. The terminais of the voltage coil 35 oi the relay 31 are interconnected by Vconductors 38 and 39 with the middle sockets I8 of the multiple connectors 9 in identically the same way as the voltmeter V.

The current coil 36 of relay 31 has one terminal thereof connected through the conductor 40 with the ammeter A with each end of conductor 4D provided with a single socket connector 9' for engagement with suitable screw-on spring contact adaptors aixed to the terminal screw of both the current winding 3S and the ammeter A. The other terminal of ammeter A is connected through conductor 4l with the socket l1 of the upper multiple connector 9 with one end of the conductor 4I provided with a single socket connector 9' for engagement with a suitable spring contact adaptor affixed to the terminal of ammeter A and the other end of conductor 4I provided with a suitable spring contact plug 32 for insertion into the socket I1. The other terminal of the relay current winding 3S is connected through conductor 42 with a rheostat R with each end of the conductor 42 provided with a single socket connector 9' for engagement with suitable spring contact adaptors aixed to the respective terminals of the current coil 36 and rheostat R. The other terminal of rheostat R is interconnected through conductor 43 with the lower multiple socket connector 9 with one end of the connector 43 provided with a suitable spring contact plug 33 for insertion into the socket I1 and the other end provided with a single socket connector 9 for engagement with a suitable screwthreaded spring contact adaptor ailixed to the screw terminal of the rheostat R.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. An electrical connector having in combination, a casing of molded insulating material having a lateral handle extension provided with a tunnel extending centrally therethrough for telescoping an insulated electrical conductor inside the lateral handle extension and having a smaller tunnel extension in alignment in the casing for telescoping the bare straight end of the conductor, a metal socket contact insert embedded in said casing and having a `closed end provided with a transverse tunnel registering with said smaller tunnel extension to jointly telescope the bare straight end of the conductor and with a threaded opening communicating between the interior of the socket and the transverse tunnel, and a spherical cup end screw threaded into said opening and having a contact ball in the spherical cup end thereof having a smaller diameter'` than both the cup and the conductor for nonrotative gripping engagement with the bare straight telescoping end of the conductor to clamp the conductor in the transverse tunnel.

2. An electrical connector having in combination, a substantially L-shaped pistol-grip casing of molded insulating material provided in one leg thereof with a central longitudinal tunnel for telescoping an insulated conductor therein and an aligned smaller extension tunnel into the base of the other leg thereof for telescoping the bare straight end of the conductor, a metal socket contact insert embedded longitudinally in the other leg of the L-shaped casing with the open end of the'socket having an annular insulated passage thereto formed in the casing and having a closed end provided with a transverse tunnel registering with said smaller extension tunnel to jointly telescope the bare straight end of the conductor and with a threaded opening communicating between the interior of the socket and the transverse tunnel, and a spherical cup end screw threaded into said opening and having a contact ball in the spherical cup having a smaller diameter than both the cup and the conductor for non-rotative gripping engagement with the straight telescoping bare end of the conductor to clamp the conductor in the transverse tunnel.

3. A multiple electrical connector having in combination an L-shaped casing of molded insulating material provided with a longitudinal tunnel in one leg thereof for telescoping an insulated conductor and an aligned smaller extension tunnel into the base of the other leg for telescoping the bare straight end of the conductor, a plurality of metal socket contact inserts embedded in longitudinal alignment in the other leg of the casing, each having a closed end provided with a transverse tunnel registering with said smaller extension tunnel for jointly telescoping the bare straight end of the conductor and with a threaded opening communicating between the interior of the socket and the transverse tunnel, and a plurality of spherical cup end screws, each threaded into a corresponding one of said opening and having a contact ball in the spherical cup end thereof having a smaller diameter than both the cup and the conductor for non-rotative engagement with the bare straight telescoping end of the conductor to clam'p the conductor in the corresponding transverse tunnel.

JEROME H. ODENHEIMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,580,639 Berg Apr. 13, 1926 1,731,661 Hauenstein Oct. l5, 1929 2,089,856 Reynolds Aug.l0, 1937 2,236,279 Von Hoorn Mar. 25, 1941 2,428,214 Gorey Sept. 30, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 288,813 England Jan. 5, 1928 

